


Autumn Colours

by Moon_Blitz



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-24
Updated: 2014-10-24
Packaged: 2018-02-22 11:21:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2505929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moon_Blitz/pseuds/Moon_Blitz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor insists on doing something to celebrate Halloween.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Autumn Colours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [possibilityleft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/possibilityleft/gifts).



Autumn Colours

  
  
    “Any plans for Halloween?” the Doctor asked as Grace brought them their tea.  
  
    “Plans? I haven’t had a Halloween off in years. My only plan is relax and ignore the doorbell.” she replied, already thinking of what movie she might watch.  
  
    “Really? I wouldn’t think Halloween to be a particularly busy night for a cardiologist.”  
  
    “It’s mostly the aftermath of Halloween parties gone wrong, but a fair amount of robberies take place around Halloween, plus there’s the regular heart attacks and such. But I’ve been in the ER on October thirty-first, and you would not believe how busy it gets.” She smiled, thinking back over all the crazy events she had witnessed over the years.  
  
    The Doctor smiled back and nodded. “Don’t worry, I believe you. Still, wouldn’t it be nice to do something to celebrate? At least in the spirit of the season, if not precisely on Halloween?”  
  
    “I’m getting the sense you’re going to hound me until I agree...” She narrowed her eyes at his innocent expression for a couple seconds, then smiled, giving in. “Alright, let’s do something. Just avoid Halloween night, ok?”  
  
    “Excellent!” He beamed at her as she sipped her tea, and she could almost see the gears spinning as he thought about what they could do. “I know of a species who spend most of their lives using astral projection due to not needing their organic bodies very much, if you want something ghost-like. Or we could go to the planet of Hespere, where it’s autumn almost all year round due to the rotation of the planet around its star. Or perhaps-” He stopped as she held up a hand.  
  
    “Hespere sounds lovely, actually. We don’t get much of fall here in the city.”  
  
    “Hespere it is,” the Doctor agreed, settling back in his chair. “Shall we go once we’ve finished here?”  
  
    “Sure.” As the conversation moved to the Doctor’s more recent travels, Grace smiled, pleased that he continued to take the time to visit her. They may lead separate lives, but it was still nice to see him every now and then.  


\- - -

  
    “Welcome to Hespere!” the Doctor exclaimed, throwing open the TARDIS doors and leading her outside. “Planet of autumn leaves, cool nights and bountiful harvests!”  
  
    “Amazing...” she breathed, taking in the sea of colour around them. They had landed in a forest of massive, twisted trees. The canopy overhead was a blaze of deep reds and oranges, while bushes closer to the ground were gold and pale red. The sunlight filtering through the trees only added to the beautiful scenery.  
  
    “Brilliant, isn’t it?” he said as he locked the doors behind them. “The trees and shrubs here have evolved so that their leaves are this colour as soon as they appear, and the first colonists modified their plants to grow in the cooler climate.”  
  
    “Colonists?”  
  
    “Hespere was colonized by humans during the second big wave of space exploration. It was uninhabited and not claimed by any neighbouring species, and so a colony was planted,” he explained with a smile, offering his arm. Grace smiled back and slid her arm around his, falling into step with him as he started to walk.  
  
    “No threatening wildlife, then?” she asked, tilting her head back to take in the leaves above them.  
  
    “Surprisingly, no. The largest native creature is the size of a badger and lives way up in the tops of the trees, feeding on bird eggs and insects. There’s been a few off-world species introduced over the years, but that was mostly done to balance out the ecosystem.”  
  
    “Mostly harmless, then,” she concluded, and the Doctor murmured in agreement. She looked down as they went down a small incline and onto a cobbled path, watching the Doctor as he stopped and looked around. “We’re not lost already, are we?”  
  
    “Oh no, not at all. I’m just trying to decide which way to go...” He trailed off and frowned slightly, thinking. “If I remember correctly, there’s a village one way and a small collection of rental cabins the other. Neither of which are terribly busy this time of year.”  
  
    “A cabin would be nice. Somewhere private, where we could spend some time together...” she smiled as he looked at her in surprise, realization quickly dawning on his face.  
  
    “It almost sounds like you’re suggesting a date,” he said, turning towards the cabins.  
  
    “Maybe I am. I haven’t been on one in a while.” The Doctor himself had interrupted her last date, but she was actually thankful for that now.  
  
    “Yes, it’s be a while for me as well.”  
  
    “Are we talking decades or centuries?”  
  
    “I...can’t remember?”  
  
    She laughed at that and squeezed his arm, knowing he was joking. “It’s fine, you don’t need to tell me. I’m just being nosy.”  
  
    “Old habits and all that, hm?” He gave her a fond smile and patted her arm with his free hand. “It’s been at least several decades, and that’s all I’ll say on the matter.”  
  
    “Fair enough.” A strange sound from high above caught her attention, and she looked up, trying to find the source.  
  
    “That would be one of the local birds. Well, bird is a rather loose definition by your standards – it has four eyes and six wings, and regularly gets into fights with the creature I mentioned earlier over food.” The Doctor shaded his eyes and peered upwards as well. “They rarely come down to the ground, so I doubt we’ll see one.”  
  
    “Four eyes and six wings, huh? Maybe you could show me a picture of one when we’re back in the TARDIS?”  
  
    “Of course.” Looking back at her, he grinned and planted a quick kiss on her cheek, surprising her. “But we have a date to go on first! Ah, a secluded cabin in the woods. How romantic.”  
  
    “Or the start of a horror film,” she said with a wince, realizing that such a scenario was common in that particular genre.  
  
    “No need to worry about that, Grace! This planet is harmless and is in a safe part of the galaxy. No invasions or evil conspiracy plots here. Which is nice. I’ve been meaning to take a break.” He looked sad for a moment, then brightened and pointed up the path. “Look, there they are!”  
  
    Barely visible through the trees were some log cabins, looking peaceful in the golden sunlight. A cozy place to stay, she decided as they got closer, squeezing the Doctor’s arm in silent thanks for being brought to such a beautiful planet. “What are we going to do tonight?” she asked, curious as to his idea of what a date was.  
  
    “Nothing too exciting, probably. Unless you want to go night diving in Lake Pallas?” When she shook her head, he continued. “Then how about a quiet supper and a night around a camp fire? Once the moon sets, we’ll have the perfect weather for stargazing.”  
  
    “So you do know how to relax. I wasn’t sure,” she joked, getting a grin in response.  
  
    “I do – on occasion – stop and enjoy the world around me. It just doesn’t happen very often.”  
  
    “Does this mean you’re going to cook supper for me?” She had found a kitchen while wandering through the TARDIS on their last trip together, but that doesn’t mean he used it.  
  
    “I was planning on it, if you have no objections?”  
  
    He looked rather nervous as he asked, making Grace laugh and shake her head. “No, none at all. It’ll be nice to not eat my own cooking for a change.”  
  
    “Probably so, but I know for a fact that you’re an excellent cook. Don’t sell yourself short on my account.”  
  
    “I’ll do my best not to.” As they approached the clearing where the cabins sat, she leaned her head against his shoulder, grateful for the time they could spend together.


End file.
